City centre home to 4000 people

MACKAY residents are a challenging lot according to the statisticians, and it makes crunching the numbers for various levels of government a difficult task.

This was one of the points raised at a free presentation on unlocking the details of the 2011 Census hosted by Mackay Regional Council yesterday.

Getting accurate numbers on young men in the region is one of the problems as this demographic is statistically less likely to complete their Census return, and yet our region attracts many younger male workers who tend to be away from home over extended periods.

Mackay Mayor Deirdre Comerford said this was one of the reasons she was keenly awaiting further population details, due out in July 31.

"I know I have 48,500 rateable valuations, which means we are still small. But I am very keen to know what the Estimates of Resident Population are, which are due for release on July 31, because guess estimates can short-change us severely," Cr Comerford said.

Other figures of note related to the strong housing growth in the city, the numbers living in the city centre and the number of people who travel into the city each day.

In the six months to March 31, Mackay has recorded 696 new dwellings, which is more than either Ipswich or Townsville. There are also 4000 people who call the Mackay City Centre home, considered significant for a regional centre, and 13,000 workers who travel to the city centre each day.

"We are attracting strong population growth and we are the bright spot in Queensland," Cr Comerford said.

"And the figures regarding the city centre highlight the importance of plans calling for the rejuvenation of the city's streetscapes and public realm, as well as the implementation of the Welcome Centre at Old Town Hall."